Acetylene-gas machine.



PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904.

E. F. & E. P. OLOUGH.

ACETYLBNE GAS MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5,19LH.

NO MODEL.

WITNESSES Arm/WU No. 774,466. I

UNITED STATES Patented November 8 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

EDGAR F. CLOUGH AND ELIZA P. CLOUGH, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

ACETYLENE-GAS MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,466, dated November 8, 1904.

A plication fil d March 5, 1904. Serial No. 196,688. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDGAR F. CLoUoHand ELIZA P. GLOUGH, citizens of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Acetylene- Gas Machines, of which the following'is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for generating acetylene gas. Its object is to provide a machine which is simple in construction and safe, easy, and automatic in operation.

It consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully described, having reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a vertical section of our device.

A and B represent two water-containing receptacles or tanks, respectively designated hereinafter as the generator and the gasometer and provided with the respective ris ing and falling bells2 3. The generator has an inclined bottom 4 and a drain-cock 5 for the withdrawal of the water and sediment from time to time. The generator is provided'with two stand-pipes 6 7, open at the top and extending upwardly outside of bell 2 and connecting each through respective pipes 8 9 with corresponding stand-pipes 10 11 in the gasometer and within bell 3. The mouths of the several pipes 6 7 10 11 are above the water-level in their respective tanks. Generatorbell 2 carries two vertical pipe-sections 1213 upon its outside, each open at the bottom and closed at the top, one, as 12, telescoping with pipe 6, and the other, 13, with pipe 7.

14 is a receiver having a tapered bottom and a contracted discharge-opening 15 hung from the top of and pendent within bell 2. A carbid-containing cage 16 is inserted into this receiver, the top of which latter is adapted to be closed by a suitable cap, as 17. Pipe 12 is connected through the bell with receiver 14 by pipe 18, while pipe 13 communicates with the interior of the bell near the bottom of the latter through the chamber 19 (Within the annulus 19, carried by the bell) and beneath the lower edge of the latter. The annulus 19 extends below the bell, and the top of chamber 19 is closed.

The pipes 6 12 7 .13 operate asguides to steady bell 2 in its rise and fall, and a stem 11 on bell 3 cooperates With pipe 11 for a similar purpose. 1

The open end of pipe 10 is provided with a valve-seat, and an interior valve 20 is normally pressed up against said seat by the spring 21. The stem 22 of the valve projects upwardly and supports a lever 23, which has one end fulcrumed to a bracket 24 on pipe 10 and has the other end projecting outwardly into the path of bell 3, by which the valve is opened when the bell falls below a predetermined point. In fact, the valve is normally held open by the bell and is only closed when the gasometer is charged nearly to its maximum capacity.

25 is a service-pipe leading from pipe 11, and 26 is a check-valve disposed in pipe 9 to prevent back flow of gas from the gasometer to the generator.

The operation of the apparatus and the functions of the various parts are as follows: Assuming bell 3 to have fallen to a pointsuch as to maintain valve 20 in open position, the

cage 16, having been charged with fresh carbid, is inserted into the receiver 14, and the cap 17 securely locked in position to prevent any escape of gas. As water rises into the receiver through opening15 and moistens the carbid the generated gas passes through pipes 18, 12, 6, 8, and 10 into the gasometer. When one charge of carbid is exhausted, the valve 27 in pipe 8 is closed and a fresh charge inserted. Provided generation proceeds faster than consumption eventually the gasometerbell 3 will rise, release valve 20, and close the gas-inlet from the generator to the gasometer. As soon as the outlet from receiver 14 through pipe 18 is cut off the further generation of gas gradually forcesthe water in the receiver downward and out through opening 15. Gas will continue to evolve until the carbid in the basket becomes entirely, dried or impoverished and after the expulsion of water from the receiver will cause the bell gradually to lift. Should generation be prolonged sufficiently, the bell may be lifted until the bottom of bell 2 proper is above the water-level, whereupon the surplus gas will pass through chamber 19 into pipe 13 and thence through pipes 7 and 9 intothegasometer. The chamber 19,with the prolongation 19 and pipes 7, 13, and 9, thus serves as a safety-outlet for the excess gas generated after the carbid is lifted out of the water and prevents any loss of gas from the generator to cause injury or inconvenience. Provision naturally is made for the further movement of the gasometer-bell upward even after the closing of valve 20 for this contingency of prolonged generation of gas. Also the pressure in the gasometer will be less than in the generator to allow gas to flow from the latter to the former.

A check-valve 28 is disposed in the upper part of the receiver 14, which closes when the pressure in the receiver exceeds the pressure in the bell outside the receiver. This checkvalve is for the purpose of allowing the gas to escape from the top of the bell outside the receiver and permit the submergence of the receiver. Unless there was some such vent afforded, the gas-pressure in the bell might be sufficient to buoy it up and prevent any water entering through opening 15 to wet the carbid and cause generation to be resumed. Hence it is that whenever valve 20 is closed the back pressure of the gas will close valve 28 and cause the expulsion of the water from the carbid-receiver. \Nhen valve 20 is opened through the sinking of the gasometer-bell, the inequality in pressure on the two sides of valve 28 will cause the latter to open and permit egress of the gas in the generator-bell and allow the latter to sink and the water once more to flow in through opening 15 to moisten the carbid and resume the process of generating gas. The apparatus is thus automatic, safe, economical, and continuous except in so far as it becomes necessary to recharge the carbid-receiver from time to time.

By placing the receiver within the generator-bell and having a reduced outlet, as 15, the water is easily excluded, and on recharging of the apparatus with fresh carbid and the plunging of the bell back into the tank the carbid is maintained in dry condition, no matter how much the water in the tank is agitated, until cock 27 or valve 20, or both, are opened and the carbid-containing bell is allowed to sink.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a gas-machine, the combination of a generator-tank and a gasometer-tank, a bell in each, stand-pipes in said tanks and connections between the stand-pipes in the gasometer and those in the generator, pipe-sections carried by the generator-bell telescoping with the stand-pipes in the generator, a earbid-receiver in the gasometer-bell, connections between said receiver and one of said telescoping sections and connections adjacent to the bottom of the generator-bell with the other of said sections.

2. In a gas-machine, the combination of a gasometer-tank and a generator-tank, a bell in each, stand-pipes intermediate of the generator-tank and its bell, and corresponding standpipes within the bell-chamber of the gasometer, connections between said sets of standpipes, a carbid-receiver within the generatorbell, pipe-sections carried by the generatorbell telescoping with the stand-pipes in the generator and connections between one of said telescoping sections and said receiver and connections between the bell and the other of said telescoping sections.

3. In a gas-machine, the combination of a generator-tan k and a gasometer-tank, a bell in each, a pair of stand-pipes in each tank, connections between said pipes in the generator and those in the gasometer, pipe-sections carried by the generator-bell telescoping with the generator stand-pipes, a carbid-receiver in the generator-bell having a contracted open bottom, connections between the receiver and one of said telescoping sections, connections between the generator-bell and the other of said sections, and an internalspring-pressed valve in the gasometer stand-pipe which connects with the generator stand-pipe that is in communication with said receiver, and means actuated by the gasometer-bell for operating said valve.

4. In a gas-machine, the combination of a generator-tank, and a gasometer-tank, a bell in each, stand-pipes in said tanks and connections between the stand-pipes in the gasometer and the corresponding stand-pipes in the generator, a carbid-receiver in the'gasometer-bell, telescoping connections between said receiver and one of said stand-pipes in the generator, valve mechanism in the corresponding standpipe in the gasometer and governable by the gasometer-bell, and telescoping connections between the generator-bell and the other of the generator stand-pipes.

5. In a gas-machine, the combination of a generator-tan k, and a gasometer-tank, a bell in each, stand-pipes in said tanks and connections between the stand-pipes in the gasometer and the corresponding stand-pipes in the generator, a carbid-receiver in the gasometer-bell, telescoping connections between said receiver and one of said stand-pipes in the generator, valve mechanism in the corresponding standpipe in the gasometer and governable by the gasometer -bell, telescoping connections between the generator-bell and the other of the generator stand pipes, and an equalizing check-valve as 28 in the carbid-receiver.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDGAR F. CLOUGH. ELIZA P. CLOUGH. WVitnesses:

IV. W. GRAY,

F. J. HAMBLY.

IIS 

